Thousands of Belgian cyclists have encircled Brussels in the 27th annual Gordel, amid political friction between Belgium's linguistic communities.Dutch speakers gathered from 7am on Sunday for to ride through and around the outer suburbs of Brussels, a largely French-speaking part of Flanders.
The annual Gordel, which is Dutch for "belt", has a strong political element this year, as divisions grow between Francophone and Dutch-speaking Belgians.
"I've come for some sport but also for a bit of politics," said one participant."I'm not a separatist but we can't just let ourselves be taken advantage of."
Many of the cyclists wore yellow jerseys emblazoned with the Flemish lion, while stickers of the same stamp adorned their bicycles.
Members of the Vlaams Belang party, which supports Flemish independence, distributed sweets to participants.
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